Seahawks Select WR D'Wayne Eskridge With Pick No. 56 in 2021 NFL Draft

It took them a while to get to this point, but the Seahawks have finally made their first selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Despite entering the night with a league-low three picks in the draft, they did not trade back to add more capital. Sticking at No. 56 in the second round instead, they made Western Michigan receiver D'Wayne Eskridge the latest member of their star-studded receiving corps.

After trading their first-round pick to the Jets as part of their package for All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, the Seahawks could only sit and watch as the event's opening night came and went on Thursday. They would still have to see another 23 players come off the board Friday night before taking Eskridge.

Losing David Moore and Phillip Dorsett in free agency, the Seahawks held very little depth behind star wideouts DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Second-year man Freddie Swain was penciled in as the team's tertiary option at the position, with his 13 career receptions coming in as the best mark amongst the remaining pass-catchers on their roster.

A five-year player at Western Michigan, Eskridge put up 2,224 yards and 15 touchdowns on 121 receptions in his collegiate career. He also logged snaps at cornerback in 2019 before breaking his collarbone on an offensive play. Upon his return in 2020, he caught 33 passes for a whopping 768 yards and eight touchdowns in just six games of a pandemic-shortened season.

Catching the attention of scouts around the league with an excellent performance at the Senior Bowl, Eskridge quickly rose draft boards for his unique athletic traits. While he's smaller in stature, measuring in at 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, he has excellent speed. Registering a 4.38 40-yard dash time at his pro day in March, the Seahawks' newest receiver has the ability to take the top off opposing defenses and works well in space, giving them some desperately needed after-the-catch potential.

He may also factor in the jet/fly sweeps new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron helped popularize with the Rams, as well as the return game. Last season, he returned 17 kicks for 467 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Russell Wilson wanted more weapons and the Seahawks are giving him just that. Adding Eskridge to the duo of Lockett and Metcalf, Seattle now has one of the fastest and most athletically-gifted group of receivers in the NFL.

For now, the Seahawks hold just two more picks in the draft: No. 129 and 250. Both of those will not be made until tomorrow—the event's third and final day.